Holiday Forgiveness
by Morkael
Summary: Diego spends part of his Christmas in the rain visiting someone who meant the world to him. Oneshot. Miego.


Disclaimer: I own none of the characters. They belong to Capcom.

He rather liked it when it rained on Christmas Day. While others spent time visiting family and other loved ones, he had never gotten that chance. If things had worked out differently, he might have, but in the end, Diego Armando, hidden behind his more recently claimed alias of Godot, had no one to turn to for company on what should have been a cheerful day. Instead of spending it celebrating like most others, he made sure to visit her grave and leave several flowers before the headstone.

He stood silently before the marker, gazing at it through the visor he could only wish to have never needed, ignoring the light drizzle the grey sky had offered for the day. A simple hat kept moisture from shorting the vital circuits in the headpiece, allowing him to stay there, remembering what little time they had spent together.

_He lay with his head resting on one arm, the other off to one side with a pen held loosely in his hand, where it had been when he had finally dozed off. It wasn't a deep sleep; merely a brief needed one that he could easily be woken from. He had been working hard ever since the incident with Terry Fawles, often to the point where he would fall asleep sitting at the table they were laboring at._

_At a quiet laugh and the presence of a gentle hand on his cheek, Diego opened his eyes and looked up at a familiar face. Mia Fey stood over him, smiling. "You don't have to work so hard, you know. That's not going to bring things to light any sooner for us."_

_He pushed up from the table, giving a quick glance at the empty mug sitting off to one side, and grinned, playing things off as though he hadn't even closed his eyes. "And leave a Kitten on her own to play with the lioness? That's hardly my style, you know." Diego turned towards the work scattered across the table and began to gather it up, placing things into several piles._

"_You still need to sleep, though," she reminded. "Unlike me, you have a case tomorrow, and need to be ready when it starts." Brown eyes watched the familiar tan hands sort through the papers, knowing exactly what each sheet was without having to read it. "Besides, if you get sick, I'll be on my own anyways, or be the one looking after you instead of the one receiving help."_

_Diego laughed, looking up at the younger attorney from where he sat. "All right then, Kitten. You win. I'll get some sleep for you." He stood up from his chair, pausing briefly in his movement to claim a small kiss, and retrieved his mug. "But I do have one question. Could you have some coffee ready in the morning?"_

Taking a step forward, Godot crouched down before the grave marker. He ran his fingers over the figures carved into the stone, memorizing the texture of the dark rock. Hidden eyes focused on the indentations, the name that he would never forget. Quietly, he spoke her name. "Mia…"

_It had been a wonderful night, the two of them alone, taking a break from the research they had been doing for so long. The movie, dinner, the other activities that had followed… They had all been relaxing and comforting in their own ways. Now, as they lay together, Mia wearing a large shirt of his that was several sizes too big curled up against him, he watched her, smiling. The way she slept, to him, was beautiful. Her features were peaceful, hair splayed out behind her, and he couldn't help but admire the woman that he had unexpectedly come to love._

For a long moment, he considered pulling the visor off, sacrificing his sight just to press his head against the cold stone before him. Instead, he remained motionless, fingers still splayed across the name. Water that was starting to build up on his hand slid down its back to further dampen the sleeve of his jacket, something that he hardly noticed.

_He sat looking across the table, a triumphant grin stamped on his features. The menu lying before him went ignored as he spoke. "Well, Kitten, things have finally changed for the better. Our little lioness has agreed to meet with me to discuss what we've been working so hard on. She even gave a specific date and time for out little chat."_

_Mia gave a brief exclamation before asking, "Is that why you wanted to have lunch together today? To let me know about her?" She held her copy of the menu, fingers idly playing at a corner. "It's nice to see our effort finally start to pay off…"_

_Diego nodded and answered, "There was one other thing, Kitten. Something a little more important than Hawthorne." He reached into a pocket, hesitating for the briefest of moments before pulling a small box out. He set it on the table, keeping his hand over it for several seconds. Normally confident and utterly assure, he for once found himself somewhat nervous. Finally, he slid the box across the table, stating, "You don't have to rush for an answer, no matter how much I want one."_

_Picking up the small black container, Mia watched Diego's face. She opened the lid to look at the delicate ring housed in the box and smiled. Setting it down on the table, still open, while holding the ring in one hand, she said, "Diego, if you're not expecting an answer, you should know better than to even make the offer." She slid the ring onto one finger, still smiling, and added, "I couldn't think of a better man than you to spend the rest of my life with."_

Godot pressed the top of his head, hat and white hair under it, against the tombstone. His hand, which had been lying atop the figures of Mia's name, clenched into a fist where it was as he clenched his jaw. "I'm so sorry Mia. I wasn't there to protect you when I should have been. We were getting too close and I fell right into her trap."

There was a pause as he fell silent to regain his composure. It was still too soon to give up, to admit his fears. Trite was still there, doing his job despite having failed her.

Straightening his jacket, the prosecutor stood to his full height once more. He looked at the marker again, wishing that things hadn't gone so wrong. "I still love you, Mia, and I hope that on today of all days that you might still be happy and forgive me for what I put you through…" With that, Godot turned away and walked off into the rain.


End file.
